Iran holds ceremony for commander killed in Syria

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Authorities held a commemoration Sunday for a commander of Iran’s powerful Revolutionary Guards who was killed in Syria, AP reported on June 1st citing the Iran’s state news agency. The death of Gen. Abdollah Eskandari underscores Iran’s high-level, hands-on involvement in the Syrian conflict, where it has sided with its close ally, Bashar Assad, to quell an uprising against his rule. The uprising began as largely peaceful protests in March 2011, but has since spun into a 3-year-old civil war. Iran is a regional Shiite power. It has provided training, weapons and cash to help support AssadRebels and anti-government activists say Iran has sent combat troops. In Syria, activists and Lebanese media reported intensified shelling targeting.